A coyote ambles past, making its circuit, following its nose, and a lone bison munches on green grasses it exposed using its massive head as a snowplow. Two trumpeter swans ply the Firehole River. Plumes of steam, rising like “the watch-fires of a hundred circling camps,” confirm that I am in the Upper Geyser Basin of Yellowstone National Park.

Yellowstone is a geothermal hotspot atop an active super-volcano, its immense magma chamber roiling just a few miles below the surface. Here, geysers expel super-heated water; hot springs burble and boil, fumaroles hiss, mudpots blurp. The ground feels quite alive under me, sounds and smells and sights emanating from a mysterious subterranean labyrinth.

Dazzled I am; few places can astound the senses like wintry Yellowstone can. I have the extreme privilege of being at Old Faithful, deep in the interior, visiting my beloved who is a winter seasonal park ranger. Fewer than 100,000 visitors — not even 3% of annual visitation — brave the obstacles to experience Yellowstone in winter. This is the solitude season, surely the most stunning of them all.

Reblogged this on Geophilia Photography and commented:
If you love the national parks as I do check out Ranger Kathryn’s Arches blog. Although she’s at Arches this post is about my beloved Yellowstone with beautiful photos of Yellowstone in the winter – going to Yellowstone in the winter is a big dream for me.

Wet my appetite? I’m already drooling LOL. Sadly it will be a few years. But on the way I do plan on coming your way again. I regret not hiking to Delicate Arch. I spent the whole day hiking and dealing with dehydration (I didn’t get the memo about bringing water bottles). By the time I got there I had to choose the short route. Next time I’ll bring water.